How the School Year Went for Me!!

School Year

It was an interesting school year for me. Because of our house fire I attended two different schools in two different states, in two different grades.

Missouri

So, I started the year in Missouri, attending school at Couch Schools. My parents thought they were registering me for 7th grade, but the school accidentally enrolled me in 8th grade. The weird thing about it was i am 12 and was the same age as the 6th grade kids. So I was much younger than the other 8th graders.

We didn’t catch the school mistake until i got my schedule for the school year and all my classes were in the 8th grade. I went home and told my dad about all of the error. A couple of days later my dad went into the school office and told them that he was fine with me staying in 8th grade as long as they were. He knew that I was able to do the 8th grade school work. They agreed, and I was left in the 8th grade. I was doing perfectly fine having skipped 7th grade and was one of the smartest in the class.

Pleasant Grove, Utah

In late October we had a house fire and moved to Utah. When we got here Mom took me to register for school again at Pleasant Grove Junior High.

Because of my birth date, and because we didn’t think we’d be living here for the entire school year I was placed in 7th Grade. Now I am among the smartest in my class. Rather than being 2 years younger than the kids in my class, now I am less than a year younger. All of my classes are a bit easier than they were in Missouri because the school has a lower expectation for my grade than they did for the 8th grade. However, my classes are teaching the things I learned in 8th grade in Missouri.

Most of the things we are being taught I know, however I am still learning a significant amount of stuff. This year in English our teacher has taught us verbs, when to use commas, how to write an essay, how to read and write an outline for an essay, how to combine words, what a compound word is, etc. But I already knew all of these things from the school in Missouri. So, I didn’t get much from English this school year.

Friends

At first it was hard to make friends here because I came in the middle of the school year. I didn’t know anyone. So for a while I sat alone at lunch while I tried to make new friends during my classes. After a while I started to know most of the people and pick some friends. I started to become friends with a lot of people such as the people I would sit next to in my classes. At lunch and at our other free times I would just keep talking to everyone and soon became friends with everyone.

However, I still had some people I didn’t particularly like because most of the things they would talk about didn’t really seem like something I should be listening to. To avoid having that stuff in my mind I would just try to stay away from those people. After a while I was still hearing things that I didn’t like listening to so I tried to just ignore them and chose not to let that inappropriate language linger in my mind. I was able to successfully go through the whole school year without lingering on any of the things that I heard and knew were not right for me.

Conclusion

Overall the school year was pretty good. I miss parts of it because we were moving, but I was still able to learn and enjoy the year. I am hoping that next school year is just a good, if not better. Hopefully I can get into classes that I want and that are exciting to me. I’m looking forward to making new friends at a new school next year, and hopefully get to spend more time with them then here in PG.

30 May 2017

I Lied!

I Lied

Can you forgive me?

I had said that I would share about my depression and PTSD in hopes of helping others. It turns out that that sentiment isn’t entirely true. There have been a few posts that I have written that upon re-reading are just too personal for me to make public. I’m just not comfortable sharing some things yet.

I still have them saved OR I have published them as “private” where only I can read them. I kept them so that the stories and record of my feelings persist. And perhaps in the future when some time has passed I’ll be comfortable sharing them. But for now they are mine alone.

I Lied, But Isn’t It Understandable?

Hopefully my reluctance to share some things makes sense to everyone. Are you willing to share everything about YOU? Probably not, right? So surely it is understandable that I am reluctant to share some things that are emotionally sensitive and that are negatively stigmatized.

Yes, I lied to you. But you still love me, right?

9 May 20178 May 2017

Look-A-Like Competition

Maybe I’m biased, but the Jensen’s do sure make cute boys!!

Can you match the Jensen boy to the right number?

Above you have 4 pics of 4 Jensen boys at approximately the same ages. I have a gold star for anyone who can match the Jensen to the correct picture above.

Do you think you know? Even Julie had some questions!

29 April 2017

Facing A New Problem… In Search of Income

Today’s depressive episode is surrounding the fact that we/I need to find some way to generate more income.

We’ve never had this problem

Julie and I have never been in debt for anything other than our mortgage. Never had any credit card debt, student loans, car payments, or other common debt that many people deal with. Despite many years now of meager income, we’ve always been able to budget what we have in order to make ends meet.

We’ve never been wealthy, but never been destitute. We’ve been below the poverty line, but have been able to live a life comparable to those above it because we have always made financially sound decisions. We’ve never had to be stressed about money, and have been deliriously happy about our quality of life.

But facing the imminent reality that our home is gone, and we will likely get no funds from the insurance, that might change. We are facing the idea that we might no longer be able to survive on my VA disability income alone. We will likely still be responsible for the mortgage for the home that no longer exists. We are loath to file bankruptcy. I know that bankruptcy is common, and that most of you would suggest it for us, but we’d much rather find a way to pay off the debt. We may end up there, but would like another way.

How to find more income?

But is there another way? No idea. How can I pay for the housing we currently need AND pay for the housing that no longer exists? I’m broken (mentally and physically) in such a way that employment isn’t feasible. We still have 3 non-school age children at home that I’m only marginally able to take care of, and so having Julie find regular employment would be very difficult.

Non-Employment Options?

But what about other income possibilities that aren’t based on employment? That don’t trade time for money? What if Julie wrote a book about being the wife of a PTSD vet? She’s eloquent and has a degree in literature, and I’m a walking talking head case, so I’m sure she could write about her own experiences and produce a good product (heaven knows I provide enough content!). But is there a market that would read/buy such a book?

We obviously have a blog… and some people make money from them. I can’t imagine how many people it would take to read/follow this for it to be a source of income though. That likelihood seems doubtful. I don’t think I’m really that interesting. Do people like reading about depression or depressing things? That’s questionable.

What if we took what we have remaining and pursued the idea of living on a boat? Could we sell a TV series that follows a PTSD vet and his family of 10 as they live in the close quarters of a boat, attempt to learn to sail, swim with sharks, try to catch our own food, and struggle to survive living at sea? If people were willing to watch Honey Boo-Boo, they might watch me yell at a broken sail in the middle of a raging storm, right?

Sell a kidney on the black market? I’ll keep that at the bottom of the list. (a friend once told me that a testicle goes for about $200,000. I think with 8 kids I’ve proven mine are fully functional, but I think I’d like to hang onto them).

I’ve read all sorts of reports that say that begging is very profitable. I could put on some military clothing and hold a cardboard sign saying I was in need… and it wouldn’t be a lie!

So, give me your thoughts on the above or give me your best ideas for income generation that would allow Julie to stay in the house.

15 April 2017

Life Choices

Came across this quote today about the way we live our lives and absolutely loved it…

” “I’ve always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can’t afford it.” What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security.” And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone.

What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.

The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

Where, then, lies the answer?

In choice. Which shall it be – bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?””

Bankruptcy of purse has never scared me, but bankruptcy of life? That is terrifying!